PHEC 451: Simplifying AI for Public Health, With Kumba Sennaar, PhD
Public Health Epidemiology Conversations
Release Date: 04/07/2026
PHEC 469: Preparing For The Worst Day, With Gabby Hadly, MPH
Public Health Epidemiology Conversations
A white powder incident tied to a local election. A measles outbreak unfolding at the same time. For Gabby Hadly, MPH, that was one week on the job, not an outlier. In this episode, Dr. Huntley sits down with Gabby, who leads public health emergency preparedness and response for Snohomish County, Washington, just north of Seattle. Their conversation moves from Gabby's personal path into public health to the daily realities of protecting nearly 860,000 residents from the emergencies no one wants to imagine. Resources ▶️ ▶️ ▶️
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PHEC 468: South Carolina's Hidden Pharmacy, With Kahlia Aposhian And Jessica Gaine
Public Health Epidemiology Conversations
Across South Carolina, thousands of uninsured residents are managing chronic conditions and recovering from hospital stays without the safety net most people take for granted. For many, the gap between needing medication and being able to afford it can mean the difference between stability and crisis. In this episode, Dr. Huntley sits down with Kahlia Aposhian and Jessica Gaines of Welvista. They talk about a resource that has been quietly serving this exact gap for years, a free statewide mail-order pharmacy most people have never heard of, even though it might be saving lives in their own...
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PHEC 467: Three Fields, One Mission
Public Health Epidemiology Conversations
Public health rarely looks the way people expect. It shows up in a hospital pharmacy trying to help a patient afford insulin. It shows up on a highway where a transportation safety lead is tracking who gets left out of the data. It shows up in a Nigerian medical school, where a young physician starts asking bigger questions about mental health policy. In this episode, Dr. Huntley brings together three professionals with three very different lenses for one conversation about a shared mission. Resources ▶️ ▶️ ▶️
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PHEC 466: Measles, Coalitions, And The Southeast, With Scott Thorpe
Public Health Epidemiology Conversations
South Carolina recently experienced the largest measles outbreak in modern American history, and for Dr. Huntley, who lives and works in the state, this wasn't a distant headline. It was a story unfolding in her own backyard. In this episode, Dr. Huntley sits down with Scott Thorpe, Executive Director of the Southern Alliance for Public Health Leadership, to unpack what actually happened in Spartanburg and what helped bring the outbreak under control. They also talk about why the real work is only beginning now that the crisis has passed. Resources ▶️ ▶️ ▶️
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PHEC 465: A Different Kind Of Advocate, With Kasie Whitener, PhD
Public Health Epidemiology Conversations
What does the national debt have to do with your health? More than most people think. In this episode, Dr. Huntley sits down with Dr. Kasie Whitener, a radio host, business professor, entrepreneur, and the current Libertarian Party nominee for U.S. Senate in South Carolina. Dr. Whitener brings a perspective that is rarely heard in public health spaces, and this conversation is all the better for it. Dr. Whitener is not a career politician. She is a researcher, an educator, and a community builder who sees public health as deeply connected to the fiscal decisions made at the federal level. Her...
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PHEC 464: Winning the War on HIV, With Marco Benjamin
Public Health Epidemiology Conversations
What does it look like when lived experience becomes a public health career? In this episode of the PHEC Podcast, Dr. Huntley sits down with Marco Benjamin, Director of Public Health at the Joseph H. Neal Health Collaborative in South Carolina, for a conversation that is equal parts inspiring and urgent. Marco has been living with HIV for more than 20 years, and rather than letting that diagnosis define him in a limiting way, he channeled it into decades of advocacy, innovation, and community-centered work. This conversation explores what it actually takes to reach communities that have been...
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PHEC 463: Let Me Reintroduce Myself
Public Health Epidemiology Conversations
After several weeks of travel, reflection, and intentional rest, Dr. Charlotte Huntley returns with a deeply personal episode to reconnect with listeners and share what's ahead. If you've recently discovered the podcast or you've been listening since the beginning, this episode is an opportunity to get to know the person behind the microphone. Dr. Huntley shares how her work as an epidemiologist, entrepreneur, consultant, podcast host, and soon-to-be author all connect around one purpose: helping public health professionals create meaningful impact. She also opens up about navigating grief,...
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PHEC 462: Public Health Is Leadership
Public Health Epidemiology Conversations
Ask ten public health professionals to explain their work without using jargon, and you will get ten completely different answers. That is exactly the kind of honest, grounding conversation Dr. Huntley set out to have in this panel episode. What emerged was something more than a communication exercise. It was a compelling case for why explaining public health in plain language is itself an act of leadership. In this episode, Dr. Huntley brings together three rising voices in the field to explore one of the most practical questions in public health: how do we make people care about something...
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PHEC 461: Created For Right Now, With Nandi Marshall, DrPH, MPH
Public Health Epidemiology Conversations
What does it look like to lead the nation's oldest and largest public health organization during one of the most turbulent moments the field has ever faced? Dr. Nandi A. Marshall, current president of the , has a clear answer, and she delivers it everywhere she goes: you are here for a reason, and this moment needs you. In this episode, Dr. Huntley sits down with Dr. Marshall for a wide-ranging conversation that covers personal origin stories, public health advocacy, maternal and child health, workforce encouragement, and the future of the field. Resources ▶️ ▶️ ▶️
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PHEC 460: From Newsroom to Policy, With Zack Stoycoff, MPA
Public Health Epidemiology Conversations
What does a journalist watching a mother scream for her child outside a burning building have to do with mental health policy? For Zack Stoycoff, MPA, everything. That early morning moment on a street corner in Oklahoma planted a seed that eventually grew into one of the state's most impactful mental health advocacy organizations. In this episode of the PHEC podcast, Dr. Huntley sits down with Zack Stoycoff, founder and executive director of the Healthy Minds Policy Initiative, a mental health policy think tank based in Oklahoma. Their conversation covers his journey from breaking news...
info_outlineWhat happens when a lifelong storyteller turns her focus to artificial intelligence and public health communication? In this episode of Public Health Epidemiology Conversations, Dr. Huntley sits down with Dr. Kumba Sennaar, a health researcher, AI ethicist, and communication strategist whose work has been recognized by institutions like the National Academy of Medicine and the World Economic Forum.
From early interests in health advocacy to leading HIV/AIDS policy work with the Infectious Diseases Society of America, Kumba shares how her journey through science, policy, and communication shaped her unique perspective on today’s biggest challenges. The conversation explores why public health often struggles to tell its own story, how audience-centered communication can transform impact, and what it will take for the field to engage thoughtfully with artificial intelligence.
If you’ve been unsure whether AI is a threat, a tool, or something in between, this episode offers a grounded and practical framework for thinking about privacy, trust, and the future of data in public health. Kumba also leaves listeners with a timely reminder for anyone feeling discouraged in the field: reconnect with your “why.”
Resources
▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community
▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes
▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting